Takedown firearm



Dec 7, 1943- D. M. wlLLlAMs 2,336,431

TAKEDowN FIREARM Filed oct; 26,` 1,940 2 sheets-sheet 1 v/I//I/A 'lll/ll,

gq.. i im De 7, 1943- D. M. WILLIAMS 2,336,431

ATAKEDowN -FIREARM Filed oet. 2e, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 2 of, y

l y l5 A v f Patented Dec. 7, 1943 2,336,431 'maroon/N Presenti David M. Williams, New Haven, Conn., assignor to Western Cartridge Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application ctober 26, 1940, Serial No. 362,942 In Canada October 7, 1940 S Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in rearms and mo-re particularly to improvements in takedown firearms, i. e., firearms of the type wherein a barrel unit and a stock-unit are constructed and arranged for ready disassembiy and assembly.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a takedown iirearm with a superior construction and arrangement of parts by means of which the stock-unit and the barrelunit thereof may be rigidly coupled together in a simple, reliable and effective manner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a superior takedown rearm in which means is provided for the hook-like interengagement oi the barrel-unit and stock-unit, which hook-like means will discharge the double function of holding the two said units against both lengthwise and lateral displacement with respect to each other when the two said units are assembled.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a superior takedown iirearm in which the means for coupling the rear end of the barrel-unit to the stock-unit is of such character as not to interfere with the extension of the portion of an action-slide or its equivalent beyond the rear of the barrel-unit.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a takedown rearm with superior readily detachable means for holding the barrel-unit and the stock-unit thereof in assembled relation in such manner as to automatically compensate for wear between. the engaging parts and for slight variations in manufacture.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a superior takedown firearm in which a breech-closing spring is incorporated as a normal part of the stock-unit and in which simple, reliable and eectve means is provided for cou.- pling the two said units together with freedom for the movement of an action-slide in coacting with the said breech-closing spring.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes all features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art and which are not claimed in any separate application.

In the accompanying drawings, in which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a broken view partly in vertical central-longitudinal section and partly in side elevation of the rear portion of a takedown lirearm embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a broken View partly in side elevation and partly in vertical central-longitudinal section of the portions of the firearm immediately adjacent the rear end of the receiver and shown on a larger scale than in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a View corresponding to Fig. 2 but showing the rear portion of the barrel-unit in an upwardly-and-forwardly-inclined position with respect to the stock-unit, preparatory to separating or reassembling the said units together;

Fig, 4: is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a broken view in side elevation'of the rear portion of the barrel-unit, detached;

Fig. 6 is a broken perspective View oi the rear portion of the receiver, detached and shown on a scale substantially corresponding to the scales oi Figs. 2, 3 and 4;

Fig. 7 is a View partly in side elevation and partly in vertical central-longitudinal section of the rear portion of the stock-unit;

Fig. 8 is a View in side elevation of the coupling-shoe on a scale substantially corresponding to the scale of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 9 is a view thereof in front elevation.

The particular vtakedown iirearm herein chosen for the purpose oi' illustrating the present invention includes a barrel-unit composed, in the main, of a receiver l5, a barrel it rigid with and extending rorwardly from the said receiver, and a trigger-plate generally designated by the reference character il.r Complementing the barrel-unit above referred to and separable therefrom is a stock-unit composed, in the main, of a stock generally designated the reference character I8 and carrying a'couplingshoe lil and a spring-housing tube 2li.

The stock i8 above referred to is formed mainly in its upper portlon with an upwardly.- opening recess 2| having a substantially-vertical rear wall 22 and having its bottom waill intersected by a vertical-longitudinal clearancepassage 23 opening through the under face ol' the stock as is shown especially well in Figs. 'l and 7. The portion of the stock I8 lying forwardly of the clearance-passage 23 therein constitutes what may be aptly termed the yforestock portion 24' which mainly underlies the barrel I6. The portion of the stock I8 lying to the rear of the clearance-passage 23 therein constitutes in elect a buttstock portionuii provided on its rear face with a usual butt-plate 26 as is shown in Figs. l and 7.

At the lower rear corner of its upwardly-opening recess 2l the stock i8 is provided with a stabiliZing-pin 2l' extending vertically slightly above the bottom surface of the said recess and entering a stabilizing-notch 28 formed in the lower rear corner cf the coupling-shoe it before referred to. Formed integral with and leading forwardly from the lower edge of the coupling-shoe I9 is a resilient receiver-supporting ar.L 29 terminating in a short upwardly-extending receiversupporting finger S functioning in a manner as will hereinafter appear. Immediately above the receiver-supporting arm 2% the coupling-head i9 is Vformed with a shallow forwardly-opening clearance-recess 3l whichY also lies below a substantially-horizontal passage 32 extending from front to rear through the coupling-shoe IQ. The said passage 32 communicates at its rear with an aligned internally-threaded socket 33 in a cuff 34 formed integral with andextending rearwardly froml the body portion of the couplingshoe I9 whichlatter is normally seated against the rear Wall 22 of the recess 2| in the stock i3. The passage 32 in the coupling-shoe IQ is of circular form in cross section and immediately forwardly thereof the said coupling-shoe is formed with a forwardly-opening locating-recess 35 which is of rectangular form in cross section as is especially well shown in Fig. 9. The lower wall of the clearance-recess just referred to is forwardly and downwardly sloped to provide a guide-surface 36 which is engaged by a portion of the receiver l5, under conditionsA as will hereinafter appear.

Immediately forwardly` of.` its substantiallyhorizontal passage 32 the coupling-shoe` I9 is formed in the upper wall of4 its locating-recess 35 with a downwardly-opening transverse-recess 3l. The formation of the said recess- 35; resultsin turn in the formation at the forward upper corner of the locating-recess4 375 of adownwardly-extending coupling-lip 38 having its rear faceydownwardly and forwardly slopedto provide a cam-surface 39 cooperating with aportion of the receiver l inA a manner as will hereinafter appear.

The cuff 34 ofltheucoupling-shoe I9 is accommodated in a cylindrically-contoured enlarged forward end 4B of a cylindrically-contoured passage M extending from front to rear through the buttstock portion 25 of the stock I8 as is especially well shown in Fig. 1.

At its rear end the spring-housing tube before referred to, is formed with an outwardlyprojecting annular flange 42 which is accommodated in a rearwardly-opening recess 43 formed in the rear face of the buttstock portion 25. The rear end of the recess 43 just referred to is normally covered by the butt-plate 2S and is intersected at its forward portion by the longitudinal passage 4l inthe said buttstock portion 25, as is especially wellshown in Fig. l. interposed between the forward face ofthe annular flange 42 of the spring-housing tube 2) and the front end wall of the recess #13 is a resilient bowed washer d4 against which the said flange presses and which permits both*I expansion and contraction of the buttstock portion without either unduly straining the part or permitting the same to become loose. The annular flange l2 of the spring-housing tube 2B is formed `in its rear face with two (more or less)v diametrically-aligned toolreceiving--notches i5-i5 adapted to receive I an edgev portion of -Athe butt-plate 25 when the ITO same in the rear end of the spring-housing same is removed from the stock i3, which removal must take place prior to access seing had to the said notches -45.

The rear end of the spring-housing tube 2li before referred to is internally threaded for the reception of the externally-threaded stem of a plug-like spring-seat generally designated oy the reference character lll, and including also an overhanging kerfed head i3 seated in a recess formed in the rear face of the flange l2 of the spring-housing tube 2li, as is shown in Fig. i. An edge portion of the butt-plate 215 may be inserted into the kerf of he plug-like springseat 4'! to conveniently remove and install the tube Eil. Threaded axially into the plug-like springseatV all and having its head seated in the buttplate 256. is a screw 49 serving to secure the upper portion of the said butt-plate in place upon the rear end of the buttstock portion 25 of the stock I3.

Housedrwithin the spring-housing tube 2G is a helical breech-closing spring 5l) which presses atA its rear against the front face of the pluglike spring-seat 4l and which presses at its forward end against the rear face of an annular outwardly-extending flange 5l formed upon a follower generally designated by the reference character 52. The external diameter of the flange 5I just referred to is proportioned to have a free sliding fit relative to the interior surface of the spring-housing tube 2li in which it is adapted to reciprocate. The forward face of the flange 5IV ofthe follower 5211s adapted under some conditions to engage with the rear face of an inwardly-extending annular stop-flange E3 formed integra-l with the spring-housing tube 2i! at the forward end thereof. Normally, and as is shown in Fig. 2, the flange 5l does not engage with the stop-flange 53 but when the barrel-unit and the butt-unit are separated in a manner as will hereinafter appear, the said parts serve to prevent the follower 52 andthe spring 5i! from moving outwardly through the forward end of the springhousing tube 2G.

Returning now to the receiver l5, it will be noted that the same is provided at its rear end with a downwardly-extending arm 553 provided at its lower rear corner with a rearwardly-andupwardly-inclined guide-surface 55 merging at its forward edge into a downwardly-facing supporting-surface 56 adapted to normally rest upon the upper surface of the receiver-supporting finger Suoi the coupling-shoe i9 before referred to.

On its rear face the depending-arm 5d of the receiver l5 is formed with an integral couplinglug 5l having an upwardly-and-rearwardly-sloping bottomsurface 58" substantially conforming in slope to and adapted to engage with the guidesurface 360i the coupling-shoe. E9.' At its upper rear corner the coupling-lug 57 of the receiver l5 is formed with an upwardly-extending coupling-lip 5S having its forward face shaped' to provide an upwardly-and-rearwardly-inclined cam-surface @il adapted to coact with` the camsurface 39 of the couplingi-lipl of the couplingshoe I9, in a manneras will be morefully hereinafter described. s

Extending substantially horizontally Y through the depending-arm 54, of thereceiver i5 and also through the coupling-lug 5l of the said arm is a clearance-passagezl as is shown especially well coupling-lugA 51 vat the rear end of the receiver I are such as to have a free sliding t with respect to the complemental side walls of the rectangular locating-recess 35 in the forward face of the coupling-shoe I9.

Adapted to reciprocate in the clearance-passage 6I at the rear end of the receiver I5, is the cylindrically-contoured stem 62 of an actionslide 63 which bears against the under surfaces of the receiver 5I and against the upper surfaces of the trigger-plate I'I. The said actionslide 63 is adapted to move rearwardly from the position in which it is shown in the drawingsunder force imparted to it by a gas'cylinder or by manual effort as is well known in the art. When the said action-slide is moved rearwardly to effect the operation of the firearm in a manner not requiring detailed description herein, the rear face of the stem B2 of the said action-slide thrusts against the forward face of the follower 52 to move the said follower rearwardly against the tension of the breech-closing spring 50. The said breech-closing spring thus serves to yieldingly maintain the action-slide 63 in its forward position subject to being moved rearwardly under the forces developed by the discharge of a cartridge or by manual force applied to the said slide.

As the rearm above described is thus organized, the same comprises in the main a so-called barrel-unit which comprises the parts shown particularly well in Fig. 5 and including the receiver I5, barrel I5, trigger-plate I'I and actimslide 63. The parts just referred to are accommodated in the upwardly-opening longitudinal recess 2I in the stock I8 save that the triggerplate unit extends downwardly through the clearance-passage 23 in the said stock, as is shown in Fig. 1. Complementing the barrelunit above referred to and separable therefrom as a unit is a so-called stock-unit which includes the stock I8 and the parts normally fixed thereto including the coupling-shoe I9, springhousing tube 20, butt-plate 26, spring 50, follower 52, etc.

When it is desired to take down the firearm, i. e., separate the barrel-unit and the stock-unit, the said barrel-unit after being released from such supplemental fastening-means as may be employed to hold it rigidly connected to the stock, is tilted up into the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3 relative to the stock I8 and associated parts. This tilting up of the receiver I5 which forms the rear part of the barrel-unit partly unhooks, so to speak, the coupling-lip 59 of the said receiver from the coupling-lip 38 of the coupling-shoe I9 and moves the supporting-surface 56 of the said receiver forwardly and clear of the upper surface of the receiver-supporting finger 30 of the coupling-shoe I9. The rear end of the receiver, and hence the rear end of the entire barrel-unit, may now be moved forwardly to complete the separation of the coupling-lips 38 and 59, whereupon the barrel-unit and stock-unit may be completely separated.

When the barrel-unit and the stock-unit are separated as just above described, the follower 52 in the spring-housing tube 29 will move forwardly (Fig. 3) under the urge of the breechclosing spring 50 to a slight extent until the forward face of the annular flange 5I of the said follower engages with the rear face of the annular stop-flange 53 in the forward end of the said tube 2i?, whereupon the forward movement of the said follower 52 will be halted.

When it is desired to reassemble the barrelset substantially in to the positions in which they are indicated in Fig. 3, following which a downward swinging movement upon the forward portion of the receiver I5 and hence of the barrelunit will cause the rearwardly-and-upwardlysloping bottom surface 58 of the coupling-lug 51 to engage with the similarly sloping guidesurface 36 of the coupling-shoe I9. The said movement will also cause the upwardly-and-rearwardly-sloping guide surface 55 on the under face of the depending-arm 54 of the receiver I5 to engage (with a cam-like action) the upper face of the receiver-supporting finger 30 of the said coupling-shoe I9. The described engagement of the surfaces 58 and 55 respectively with the guide-surface 36 and the receiver-supporting nger 30 will ultimately serve to cause the barrel-unit and receiver-unit to reassume the relative positions in which they are shown particularly well in Fig. 2 when the downward swinging movement of the receiver I5 and hence of the entire barrel-unit is continued from the positions indicated in Fig. 3.

As the receiver is tilted in reassembling the parts as above described, the engagement of the guide-surface 55 on the lower rear portion of the receiver I5 with the upper surface of the receiver-supporting finger 30 of the coupling-shoe I9 will cause the resilient receiver-supporting arm 29 of the said coupling-shoe to flex downwardly so that when the parts have been restored to the positions in which they are shown particularly well in Fig. 2, the tension of the resilient receiver-supporting arm will serve to maintain the cam-surface 6i! of the coupling-lip 59 of the receiver I5 in tight wedging engagement with the cam-surface 39 on the rear face of the coupling-lip 33 of the coupling-shoe I9. In this manner both variations in manufacture and variations due to wear are automatically compensated for in that the two said couplinglips 38 and 59 are maintained in tight engagement by the tension of the receiver-supporting arm 29 of the coupling-shoe I9.

In the accompanying drawings the barrel-unit is shown as also including a helical firing-spring S4 mounted upon a, plunger 65 and thrusting rearwardly against the forward face of the lower portion of the depending-arm 55 of the receiver I5. The plunger S5, just referred to, reciprocates in a guide-passage 5S extending from front to rear through the lower portion of the arm 54 and it is for the purpose of accommodating the rear endof the said plunger when the same is movedV rearwardly that the coupling-shoe I 9 is formed with the clearance-recess 3l before described.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and al1 changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A takedown firearm including in combination: a receiver provided at its rear with an upwardly-projecting coupling-lip; a stock formed with an upwardly-opening recess for the reception of the said receiver; a coupling-shoe mounted in the said stock at the rear of the said recess therein and formed with a downwardly-extendunit and the butt-unit, the parts may benrst re' i of the said receiver to couple the saine andv theI parts carried thereby to the said stock; resilient means yieldingly thrusting upwardly upon the rear portion of the said receiver to engage the coupling-lip thereof with the coupling-lip of the said coupling-shoe; and retaining-means holding the said coupling-shoe organized with the said-stock.

2. A takedown firearm including in combination: a receiver provided at its rear with an upwardly-projecting coupling-lip; a stock formed withy an upwardly-opening recess for the reception o the said receiver; a coupling-shoe mounted in tire said stock at the rear of the said recess therein and formed with a downwardly-extending. coupling-lip engaging with the couplinglip oi the said receiver to couple the same and the parts carried thereby to the said stock; resiiient means carried by the said stock and thrusting upwardly against the rear portionV of the said receiver to engage the coupling-lip thereof with the coupling-lip of the said coupling-shoe; and retaining-means holding the said coupling-shoe organized with the said stock.

3. A takedown rearm including in combination: a recei er provided at its upper rear portion with an upwardly-projecting coupling-lip; a stock formed with an upwardly-opening recess for the reception of the said receiver; couplingshoe mounted in the said stock at the rear of the said recess therein and formed in its upper portion with a downwardly-extending couplinglip engaging with the coupling-lip ci thesaid receiver to couple the same and the parts carried thereby to the said stock; a resilient receiversupporting arm projecting forwardly from the said coupling-shoe and engaging with aI portion oi' the said receiver to yieldingly urge the same upwardly to engage the coupling-lip thereof with the coupling-lip of the said coupling-shoe; and retaining-means holding the said coupling-shoe organized with the said stock.

4. A takedown firearm including in combination: a receiver having a substantially-horizontal passage in its rear portion and provided at its rear above the said passage with an upwardly-projecting coupling-lip; a stock formed with an upwardly-opening recess for the reception of the said receiver; a coupling-shoe mounted in the said stock at the rear of the said recess therein and formed with a substantially-horizontal passage aligned with the passage in the rear of the said receiver, the said coupling-shoe also being provided at a point above its said passage with a downwardly-extending coupling-lip engaging with the coupling-lip of the said receiver; an action-slide located' adjacent the said receiverand having a portion movable through the passage in the rear of the said receiver and through the aligned passage in the said coupling-shoe; spring-means located below the clearance-passageI in the rear of the said receiver and yieldingly urging the said receiver upwardly to engage its coupling-lip with the coupling-lip` ofV the said coupling shoe and retaining-means holding the same coupling-shoe in said stock.

5". A takedown firearm including in combination: a receiver having a substantially-horizontal passage in its rear portion and provided at its rear above the said passage with an upwardly-projecting coupling-lip; a stock formed withan'upwardly-opening recess for the receptionof thevsaidreceiver; a coupling-shoe mounted' in-thesaid stock at the rear of the said recess therein and formed with a substantiallyhorizontal passagealigned with the passage in the-rear of the said receiver, the said couplingshoe also being formed with a downwardly-extendingA coupling-lip engaging with the coupling-lip oi the said receiver; an action-slide located adjacent` the said receiver and having a portionY movable through the'passage in the rear oi the said receiver and through the aligned passageV in the said coupling-shoe; a resilient receiver-supporting finger carried by and projectingA forwardly fromv the said coupling-shoe at a point below the passage therein and engaging with an adjacent' portion of the said receiver to yieldingly urge the same upwardly to maintain engagement between the coupling-lip thereof and the coupling-lip of the said' coupling-shoe; and retaining-means holding the said couplingshoe in the said stock;

6. A takedown rearm including in combination': a receiver provided at its rear with an upwardly-projecting coupling-lip having an upwardly-and-rearwardly-inclined front face; a stock formed with an upwardly-opening recess for the reception of the said recevier; a coupling-shoe mounted in the said stock and formed with a downwardly-extending coupling-lip having an upwardly-and-rearwardly-sloping rear face engaging with the similarly sloping forward face of the coupling-lip of the said receiver; a resilient receiver-supporting arm projecting forwardly from the said coupling-shoe and engagingwith the said receiver to yieldingly force the sloping face ofthe coupling-lip thereof into engagement with the similarly sloping face of the coupling-lip of the` said coupling-shoe; and retaining-means holdingl the said coupling-shoe in the said stock.

DAVID M. WILLIAMS. 

